WASHINGTON, DC, BELONGS TO EVERYONE

ARECITIZENS

CHILDREN

2014 2015

Introduction

DC through Our EyesSacred Heart School, PreK4

Museums on the MallSmithsonian Early Enrichment CenterSchool Within School at Goding (DCPS), First Grade

Mapping DCSchool Within School at Goding (DCPS), First Grade

The MetroWashington International School, Pre-K A French Sacred Heart School, PreK3

Union StationSchool Within School at Goding (DCPS), Kindergarten

Some DC LandmarksWashington International School, Pre-K C Spanish and Kinder C Spanish

Sculptures and SpacesSchool Within School at Goding (DCPS), PreK3

The Real Best Playground EverSeaton Elementary School (DCPS)

Good Citizens of DCSacred Heart School, Kindergarten

Natural Places of Freedom in Northeast DCSchool Within School at Goding (DCPS), PreK4

About the Authors and the Book

Your Own Chapter

CONTENTS

People from all around the world know about Washington, DC. They talk

about it, write about it, draw it, and make movies and TV shows about it.

But almost always, we hear only the opinions and ideas of grownups.

For this book we invited some of our youngest citizens children from

Sacred Heart School, School Within School at Goding (DCPS), Seaton

Elementary School (DCPS), the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, and

Washington International School to tell us what they think of our city.

We asked them to share their ideas in order to help other children (and

adults) know what they think is important about DC. We asked their

teachers to help students research the city and discuss their ideas with

classmates and children from the other schools. Each teacher guided

their students in di!erent ways. The results are thoughtful, informative,

and sometimes surprising. You can learn a lot about our city from reading

this book.

Jim Reese

Coordinator, DC-Project Zero1

(on behalf of the Children Are Citizens coordinating team:

Mara Krechevsky, Ben Mardell, Sarah Merianos, Nathalie Ryan,

and Joanne Seelig)

1 DC-Project Zero (or DC-PZ) is a group of more than 800 local educators from traditional public, public charter, independent, and parochial schools, as well as educators from museums and NGOs, who come together throughout the academic year to explore the ideas of Project Zero (PZ), a research group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Our ultimate goal is to create powerful learning environments for students. The Children Are Citizens project is an outgrowth of the Making Learning Visible (MLV) Project at Project Zero and DC-PZ events. For more information about DC / PZ, visit www.facebook.com / washdcpz. For more information about the project, go to www.pz.gse.harvard.edu /children-are-citizens.php or www.makinglearningvisibleresources.org.

INTRODUCTION

DC THROUGH OUR EYESSacred Heart School, PreK4

DC through our Eyes

By PreK4 of Sacred Heart School

La casa blanca es de todos los ciudadanos. Se hizo para que el presidente viva y trabaje. Queda exactamente frente al Monumento a Washington donde puedes ver toda la ciudad. Cuando subes al monumento a Washington puedes ver el Potomac, Congreso, Memorial Lincoln y tambin los Cherry Blossoms.

Jean Carlos A., Anthony, and Santiago

The White House is for all citizens. It was made for the president to live in and work in. It is located exactly in front of the Washington Monument where you can see the whole city. When you go up the Washington Monument, you can see the Potomac, Congress, the Lincoln Memorial, and also the Cherry Blossoms.

Hay dos monumentos que llevan el nombre de dos presidentes: El Monumento a Jefferson que est alrededor del Potomac, donde las personas pueden caminar y en la primavera puedes ver los cherry blossoms, y el Lincoln Memorial lo construyeron en el rio Potomac, frente al Monumento a Washington y al Capitolio.

Noah and Jean Carlo S.

There are two monuments named after two presidents: the Jefferson Memorial, which is next to the Potomac, where people can walk, and in the springtime you can see the cherry blossoms, and the Lincoln Memorial, which was constructed on the Potomac River in front of the Washington Monument and the Capitol.

Washington, DC, tiene el National Mall y un parque muy grande, para

que la gente pueda caminar por los monumentos y pueda ir a los museos y al congreso e hicieron una piscina muy grande y desde ah puedes ver los monumentos.

Brian, Kira, and Ariana

Washington, DC, has the National Mall and a very big park, so that people can walk to the monuments, to the museums, and to Congress. They made a big pool and from there you can see the monuments.

George Washington se reunion en su casa con otras personas para mostrarles donde iban a construer la cuidad. Lo primero que hicieron es ponerle piedras, clavos, tornillos, y puertas grandes al rio Potomac, porque era muy grande y no iban a tener sitio donde construir.

ngel, Emilio, and Kira

George Washington met with other people in his house to show them where they were going to construct the city. The first thing they did was to put stones, nails, screws, and big doors on the Potomac River because it was very big and they did not have a place to construct on it.

Washington, DC, es una ciudad bonita porque tiene un lindo Congreso y una Casa Blanca que la pintaron de blanco para que se vea hermosa. Es una ciudad muy grande que siempre brilla. Los cherry blossoms son muy bonitos y las novias van a tomarse fotos. Washington, DC, es un ciudad feliz que te hace sentir feliz.

Sascha, Keyri, and Ariana

Washington, DC, is a pretty city because it has a lovely Congress and a White House that they painted white so that it looks beautiful. It is a very big city that always shines. The cherry blossoms are very pretty and the brides get their pictures taken there. Washington, DC, is a happy city that makes you feel happy.

MUSEUMS ON THE MALLSmithsonian Early Enrichment Center

School Within School at Goding (DCPS), First Grade

Museums on the Mall

The Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (SEEC)

Hi! Were the Wallabies (3s and 4s), the Cinnamon Bears (4s and 5s), and Kindergartners at SEEC. We go to school every day at the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, and we get to visit other museums on the National Mall all the time. We want to tell you some things we know and like about the museums.

The Kindergarten The Cinnamon Bears

The Wallabies

The Wallaby Classroom

National Museum of American History

Hi there! We are the Wallabies. Some of us are 3 and some of us are 4. We go to school in the National Museum of American History. Let us tell you about it!

It has lots of old stuff. Agnes Theres lots of pictures. Josie

Theres a kitchen there. Beatrice Our museum has lots of pictures and statues. Lia

Theres stars in it on the wall. Ellen It has a train in it. Sam

Theres horses there! Olivia Theres a big fire truck, old from a long time ago. Freya

Theres lots of cool and old stuff. Enzo

Our teachers asked us what was the most important thing to know about the American History Museum. Heres what we think you should know: Do not go in the cases. Josie You can never go inside the boxes where the doors [are] to get stuff inside. Freya Were too big to go inside the cases. Sam All of the other presidents would come, and we would be in trouble because were not allowed inside the cases. Freya You cant go in the pretend kitchen. Beatrice

The Wallabies visiting Julia Childs kitchen

National Air and Space Museum

We also like to go to the National Air and Space Museum to learn all about space. Let us tell you about it!

Theres rocket ships. Sam We get to go see those rockets. Enzo Theres a kid show there. Agnes Theres airplanes there. Josie I know that theres a kid place and earth spinner. Freya

There are many objects at the museum. Here are our ideas about how they get there. [To get the space stuff] astronauts go there and then they left their suits at the museum so everyone could see them and see how they look. Beatrice Then people put them in cases and put them on big sticks or hooks. And theres one problem. You cannot touch the Elmo screen. Freya If you touched really hard it would make a hole and the screen couldnt play anymore and thats really sad. Beatrice

Learning about planets and space travel in NASM

How do you feel in the Air and Space Museum?

I feel happy when I go to the museum because theres two rocket ships. Enzo I think that the rocket ships say 3-2-1 blastoff and they zoom by and theres fire. Archer The museum makes me excited because its so quiet and dark in there and people can go and see something new every day. Agnes You need some food to go to space. Ellen

Heres what we think are the most important things to know when you go to the National Air and Space Museum: Dont touch the screen of the planetarium. Josie Dont touch the screen of the Elmo movie. Enzo Dont touch the plane. Beatrice

The Hirshhorn Museum

My favorite thing is the fountain and the shadows. I like the dark room too. Oliver

The shadows that move are my favorite. Olivia

A map of the Hirshhorn by Freya

I like the pictures of the colors. There are rectangles. I love only that. Hans I like about that museum that has elephants in it. I like that museum, there's, like, a movie of elephants. The museum makes me feel happy. Archer The big tree movie is upside down. It feels like a movie. Lia

The Tree Movie by Agnes

The Cinnamon Bear Classroom

Hi! Were the Cinnamon Bears. We are 4 and 5 years old.

We go to school every day at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

We want to tell you some things about the museums we like.

What are your favorite things to see at the museums? I like in Air and Space theres a picture of a guy wearing wings and the sun melted him so he couldnt fly again. Oskar I like the statue of the woman holding the muscle at the National Gallery. Isabella I love seeing the big horn at African Art. Lucas Sculptures. Vivienne Woman Eating at the Portrait Gallery. Gregory All the dinosaurs at Natural History. Nathan I like to see the horse at American History. Jude Pretty things! Gwen Everything! Layla

Woman Eating by Duane Hanson

We have our own ideas about how the museums got here

The Story of How the Security Officers Own the Museums

By The Cinnamon Bears

Once upon a time, a really long time ago, construction workers built the museums and it didnt belong to

anyone. It was built in the old times. Then, perfect timing, when the

security guards came, the construction workers said, OK, you can own all these buildings. And

then security guards turned them into museums. The guards made the

sculptures and some of the art part. Artists made some, too.

If bad guys come at night the security guards get them. The

security guards stay up late. When its daytime, guards stand in front of the museum to make sure everyone

is safe.

One time a bad guy came in. And then the security guard got him. The security guards called the police to

take the bad guys to jail. Their number is 911. The bad guys broke some of the art pieces, so some of the police fixed them up a little bit.

One of the buildings that the security guards own is our museum-

American History. People started coming to the museums and

deciding to work there and help the security guards. The bad guys

started being nice. And then they all had a celebration.

THE END

Let us show you a few of our favorite things.

The National Museum of African Art

Insider Tips for Future Visitors:

Theres a hole in the middle of the museum and you cant take pictures on the bottom floor. The Cinnamon Bears

Photos we took in the Museum of African Art

Jewelry (photo by Layla) Untitled (photo by Jude)

A Girl (photo by Gwen) A Big Horn (photo by Oskar)

We took these pictures ourselves and

gave the photos our own titles.

The Smithsonian Castle

Insider Tips for Future Visitors: Its not a real castle. The Cinnamon Bears

There is a really cool room inside the Castle that houses miniature collections representing all the different Smithsonian museums. It is called the Peacock Room. There are a lot of things there that inspire our curiosity in the museum and back in the classroom

I like the rocket ship. Henry

Stella and Layla hard at work building their own castle.

Theres a little case of the city there. Gregory The Kindergarten Classroom

We are the Kindergarten class and our school is in the National Museum of Natural History. Heres what we

know about our museum! There are lots of things you can see. Micah

There are a lot of halls to look at. Amelia

Theres fun stuff! You can learn about lots of stuff. Summer

Its the biggest museum. Nancy

Lots of animals like Henry [the elephant]. You can touch real animals. Micah

There are a lot of objects like gems. Summer

You can touch insects. Roy

There are real live insects in the insect hall. Henry

There are sharks in the ocean hall and pictures. Caleb

The word hall is in the name of all the halls like dino hall, gem hall, insect hall. Maggie

There is a fish tank and some alive animals and some not alive. Thomas

At the National Museum of Natural History, there are a few things we think are important!

Henry the elephant. Summer The museum doesnt have art-- like paintings. Maggie

Phoenix guards the ocean

hall. Roy

Henry the elephant is the guard. Thomas The whole museum tells you what you dont know. Nancy The focus is nature. Amelia

National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI)

We sometimes go to NMAI. They have many things, including Lots of things that are good to look at, like boats. Amelia Lots of kayaks and canoes to look at. Thomas

Native American stuff here. Micah

Lots of American Indian stuff, like clothing. Summer

Play room, ImagiNations, where you can make igloo blocks, games to guess. Ailsa

They got some canoes. Caleb

Very fancy elevators. Maggie

Colorful lights prisms (sun shines through the windows). Henry

Displays have curvy lines and glass. Amelia

The whole building looks like a whale. Thomas

Cool flag of nations. Summer

Theres a path around the museums. London

There is the star room. Ailsa

There are long stairs and the inside is curvy. Henry

What should children go and see at NMAI?

We think children should go see the star room and ImagiNations. Here there are childrens games, dress up clothes, blocks to build an igloo so big that you can go in it, sleds to ride, skateboarding, houses, and a tepee. We think you should go see Our Universe with the different tunnels with American Indian stuff, clothes and things they use, a buffalo, weapons, drums, and quilts. See the snowmobile. Its important because people use it to get around, to fish, and to drill the ice to make holes to catch fish. And of course it is very important to know that there is food next to the elevators (and the teachers want you to know that it is one of the best restaurants in the museums)! .

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Here are some things we think you should know about the Smithsonian American Art Museum:

There are lots of pictures of people.

There is a Statue of Liberty, a small one.

There is a weird lady that scares you because shes eating in the museum. Some of us thought it was a real lady but it is a sculpture.

There are lots of stairs and elevators.

We can find the museum by the guy riding the horse and steep steps.

Other Important Things to Look for at SAAM:

There are birds made of bottles and orange ones on the trees.

There is a swimming pool room (water fountain in the floor). There is the painting that changes different colors. There is a map showing us what is happening and going on

in different states. There are really pretty sculptures. There is a picnic with no people, just a case with food.

What should other children see in the museums?

We think children should see the Natural History Museum because there is lots of stuff to see like the lava lamp, lots of things to learn, and lots of adventures to have. There are also lots of animal sculptures that look cool. Kindergarten We also think you should go to the Air and Space Museum where there is outer space stuff, and a rocket ship you can drive. The Wallabies The Castle is also very interesting and there is a big map of the Smithsonian there. The Castle also has stuff from back then, pictures, armor, and things that are fancy. The Cinnamon Bears

We also think you should go see the sculpture garden at the Hirshhorn. The Wallabies

Astronaut by Ellen

Train at American History by Olivia

Why does Washington, DC, have museums?

(Cinnamon Bears)

So people can see beautiful artwork. Gregory

So people can see things theyve

never seen before. Grant

So everybody can know what happened a long time ago. Dash

You can go to museums to check out things you looked at before. You can go see it

again. Nathaniel

To see the good things that happened. Stella

And the bad things. Gregory

Its important to learn about

things. Henry

We know we are lucky to have our school inside a museum.

It is a really important part of how we learn!

So why are museums important?

Heres what the kindergartners think

Museums let you know about history. You can learn about art. It makes people want to be artists

when they grow up. They are important because there

are things we need to protect. They are fragile so dont get your fingerprints on them.

There are lots of fun things to look at and learn from.

They are important to our community. They are part of earth and what makes it special.

They are places to explore, learn, and visit if you get lonely or want to go somewhere.

In hot weather it keeps you cold. Theres cool and pretty stuff in them. They help you learn and you can tell others to learn. They tell us how things work; museums are really special. You can take pictures, draw things in museums, and have

adventures. Its pretty clear that we think museums are important places for learning and we hope you do, too!

I took a picture of a plane and it made me happy. Lucas

Making Stories at the National Gallery of Art

Follow Katie Sollis first grade class from School within School at Goding into the National Gallery of Art, where the first graders learned to look closely, use their imaginations to think about the characters in art, and work together with friends to write stories inspired by the paintings they saw. It was a memorable experience for DCs youngest museum-going citizens.

HOW TO MAKE A STORY AT THE MUSEUM

First, you have to find the perfect work of art and look closely at it for a long time.

You can talk to your friends about the painting and share ideas about what you see, think, and wonder.

Bring some paper and pencils with you to draw. It may help you notice things in the painting. You can also put your illustration into your story later.

Think about what might have happened before and after the scene in the painting. Now you have a beginning, middle and end for your story!

Next, you can work with a team of writers to figure out what the problem and the solution will be in your story.

Maybe you will think about sounds the characters are making in your painting and include those in your story. You can use post-its as speech bubbles.

Before you publish your story, take time to illustrate your story. Notice Gabe experimenting with watercolors.

Finally, when youre done you can turn your story into a play and perform it. Dont forget to make cool props, rehearse it and find an audience to see it.

Why do you think museums are important to our city? Tate: Its warm on cold days.

Madeline: Its better to go to one to see art in the museum because the artist puts a lot more work in it than you think. You can see it better. Sophia: If people didnt have anything to look at they wouldnt have anything to be curious about. Willa: You can see stuff from history.

Evan: People can learn about things. Like old-fashioned things. Gabe: If there werent museums then nobody would be able to go anywhere and everyone would be just at home playing on their iPads. Isabel: Because if you see art in a newspaper it is sometimes blurry. In a museum it is in full color and its more special. Harvey: If there were no museums, people wouldnt get to see cool things that are in museums. So if museums werent real it could be like the artifacts in museums arent real.

Once upon a time, there was a fourteen-year-old boy, who was very poor. His name was Watson. He was very kind. He tried to make money by being a sailor. He lived in New York and Florida.

One day he went for a swim in the ocean. He took off his clothes and jumped into the water. All of a sudden, a shark who was having a bad day came to the boat.

The shark ate off his right foot. Then, some of his friends saw it and jumped into a small boat and came to save him.

Then a family of seals noticed the shark was about to do something bad to Watson. They splashed and splashed and distracted the shark. And the friends tried to pull up Watson. But they couldnt! So the seals helped them. They got under Watson and used their noses to push him up. He was SAVED by the seals and the friends. When Watson was safe in the boat, he said Thank you everybody. The friends said,

The friends said, AHHHHHHHHH, your foot is GONE!!

AHHHHHHHHH, your foot is GONE!! Watson said, The shark bit it off. The friends said, Our poor Watson! He will need a wooden foot, like a pirate! Very soon, Watson went to a hospital to fix his leg. The hospital was on top of a big huge mountain. There were magical trees surrounding the mountain that carried him up to the top where the hospital was because he couldnt walk. Then, he went in and got his new wooden peg leg. The doctor said, You can do no more swimming or rough things ever. Meanwhile, Watson had to stay in the hospital for a long time. To say thank you to his friends and the trees for helping him, Watson invited them to the hospital for a lollipop.

STORYTELLING IN ACTION AT THE MUSEUM

After writing and illustrating a story inspired by the painting of Watson and the Shark, by John Singleton Copley, children made the characters in the art come alive in an animated gallery performance of their work. The audience cheered as Watson was saved from the shark. For a few minutes the quiet gallery space was transformed into a lively public theater. Students were suprised that passers-by stayed to watch! Shows written by kids, produced by kids, were enjoyed by all.

AND AS THE STORY GOES, THEY...

MAPPING DCSchool Within School at Goding (DCPS), First Grade

Mapping DC

I see water, a bridge that goes across the water. I see lots and lots and lots of land. I see words. I see numbers because the numbers are there, that is the streets, like there is a sign on the street and it had a 4.I see lots of bridges, and one bridge is so long, and there is one little triangle island of the giant river and I also see the dock.

I think that a long time ago when DC was just being built they came up with the idea to make a map so people could find their way around, and then they tested it out, and they wanted to go somewhere and it worked, and their calculations were right, and they decided to keep the maps forever.

First graders in Alysia Scofield's class at School Within School at Goding explored their city by

looking at and creating maps.

This is the Boundary!

That kind of looks like a diamond or a sandwich with a bite out of it!

Thissideis squiggly.

The river part is hard.

Now I am starting to think I need to study off of books.

I think this is a picture from far, far away, from space or something.

I found out that on my picture there is this little ridge right here. On my picture where the river begins, its got this little ridge.

That is totally high up from outer space. Totally!

Percy

Dorian

Sonora

Things that are not natural are things that dont grow likestring and paper, but natural things are things like treesand grass because they grow on the earth.

Natural features are things that sometimes people plant and sometimes they appear like birds, and winds, and seeds.

The rivers are shaped like a tree. Thats the branch and this is the trunk and those are all different branches.

This isa pink cherry blossom tree. I looked at the map and I saw

something I actually saw, that I actually went to, in Mr. Jeres class, andthats how I knew theAnacostia River part.

Natural Features

Ainsley

Ibby

Lucinda

Tali

Hazel

Lusa

LandmarksIt should be something thats popular like Eastern Market.

District Taco is popular!

The Washington Monumentwe all know what thats like!

What about the Capitol? Mymom used to work there!

The White House! Ive been there. That place is awesome!

Hey! I found my home on this.I found my home!

RyanDominic

Noah

Samuel

Compass RoseI am doing North, South, West, East so you will know what side to choose.

We all have different ideas but sometimes, usually, the North is red.

It kind of looks like a giant thing shootingletters.

Its a map of a compass.

I did one that only hadNorth, South, East, and West, but I wanted tomake it better so I putNortheast and Southeast and Northwest.

I just wanted to make mine look differentthan other peoples soit would kind of feel,like, unique.

Sofie

Kamrin

Eric

Isaac

Aksel

Rhema

Jordan

RoutesMetro - The red is the Red Line,and the blue is the Blue Line, and the gray is the Silver Line since it doesnt have silver.

That is traintracks.

I think that the Silver Line is new but I dont know where it goes except I know that it goes to the Lego store.

This route is to Dominics house from my house. You pass a graveyard and a park. You have to walk a corner. Its like an L but you have to walk up.

Dylan

Samuel

Gael

Room 202Map of Washington, DC

We found George Washingtons idea about being a citizen in the Washington Monument Museum: My first wishis to see the whole world in peace, and the inhabitants of it as one band of brothers, striving who should contribute most to the happiness of mankind.

Two of our first graders defined a citizen this way: Its a person who is respecting things. If someone gets hurt you dont leave them there. Like the guy that got smashed with a rock and they took his clothes and everyone walked by him, even the priest. It was a guy that was not likely to help him that helped him.

THE METROWashington International School, Pre-K A French

Sacred Heart School, PreK3

FUN FACTS About the Washington, DC, Metro:

DID YOU KNOW THAT

Wheaton, on the RED Line, has the longest

escalator in the world! It takes more than 3

minutes to go from the top to the bottom.

When you are 5 years old and older, you MUST pay to take the Metro.

The Red Line has 27 Stations. The Blue Line has 27 Stations. The Orange Line has 26 Stations. The Green Line has 21 Stations. The Yellow Line has 17 Stations. The Silver Line has 28 Stations.

http://www.wmata.com/ is the Website about the Metro and buses in WDC.

The M sign tells you there is a Metro Stop. The color of the line

shows which line passes there.

The construction of the Metro started in 1969. In 1976, seven years after groundbreaking, Metrorail had its opening day.

- There are around 758,489 passengers using the Metro

every day. - The Metro can be

underground, at street level or even elevated.

- WMATA owns 1,126 cars. - WMATA means: Washington

Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

- The maximum speed is 75mph.

The driver is called an operator. The Metro runs on electricity.

This is the Metro on the Red Line. The sign on the street has a big M and a red line to show the Red Line passes there.

Sammy

It is cheaper to use a Smartrip than a paper

ticket!

DC METRO By Washington International School

Pre-K A French Immersion

http://www.wmata.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metropolitan_Area_Transit_Authorityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metropolitan_Area_Transit_Authorityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metropolitan_Area_Transit_Authority

LES FORMES DANS LE METRO SHAPES IN THE METRO

This is a tile from the platform. It is a hexagon because it has 6 sides.

Theo and Talal

This shape looks familiar to me because it is like a rectangle; it has 4 sides. The sides are straight but the corners are round. It is in stone. It is the roof of the Metro.

Sammy, Derek and Alec

La lumire clignote quand le mtro arrive. Les passagers peuvent voir et se prparer. The light flashes when the Metro arrives. People can see and get ready.

Linnea and Helen

This is the roof at the entrance of the Metro. It does not rain on you. It is made with rectangles and it is glass.

Sonia and Imogen

On ne peut pas mettre les papiers par terre, pas de cigarettes. On ne peut pas manger ni boire dans le mtro. On ne peut pas couter la musique sans couteur ni porter des choses dangereuses.

Helen

WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT RULES ON THE METRO?

We cannot eat or drink. No smoking is allowed. We cannot put paper on the floor or carry dangerous material. We cannot listen to loud music. Only service animals are allowed on the Metro.

We need to sit down and keep our feet down. I am little so my feet are not touching the ground. It is like flying.

Linnea

WHAT DO PASSENGERS DO ON THE METRO?

Les passagers: un papa, une maman et un bb. Ils arrivent dans le mtro. Ils portent leur ticket dans la main. Ils ont une valise. Ils vont laroport.

Imogen

Une personne coute la musique. Lautre lit un livre. La madame prend son bb dans les bras et lui donne la ttine. Ils attendent le mtro.

Sonia

During our field trip, we saw people with luggage, listening to music with earphones, reading books or newspapers, using their phone to call, play or read messages. Some people were talking to each other or resting with their eyes closed.

2.

THE METRO IS FOR EVERYBODY!

1. This sign is for the blind people who cannot see. They can feel the bumpy dots (Braille letters) and know what to do in an emergency.

2. On the platform, there is also a bumpy floor so blind people can feel if they come to close to the hole.

3. The other sign is for people who cannot walk. Elevators are important. Otherwise people in a wheelchair cannot take the Metro.

4. Inside the cars, this sign shows where people in a wheelchair or people who cannot walk easily can sit. It is right next to the door.

Derek and Linnea

1. 3.

4.

2. 1.

STAIRS OR ESCALATOR?

After we looked at the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfcFWrckoLg), we realized that it can be FUN to use the stairs, and it is better for you. It makes you do exercise. We each created imaginary stairs! Also we learned that it is important to stay on the right side to respect the others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfcFWrckoLghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfcFWrckoLg

If you read this book, you might be inspired, like we were, by creating artwork to decorate the Metro walls. We all agreed that this little girl had a COOL idea!!

LETS DECORATE THE METRO WALLS!

Les gens vont aimer ce poster parce quil y a beaucoup de couleurs et les 2 personnes ont un grand sourire.

Sonia and Imogen

Our poster will make people happy because it looks nice. It is cool. The blue part is for the Metro. On each side, there are speakers. It would be nice to have music inside the Metro so people would be happy and they would dance.

Talal and Derek

People will like our poster. It will make people happy because they will feel good. Our poster can be seen from all the different sides. It can help people use the Metro.

Theo, Alec and Sammy

People will enjoy our poster because we used lots of colors. They will think it is funny. Une personne est fche et une est contente.

Helen and Linnea

The Story of Rayo!

By PreK3 of Sacred Heart School

Inspired by our investigation of the DC Metro system Rayo is our friend. He is a train who lives on the Metro tracks. He is red because he likes to go on the Red Line and because he eats all red food like apples (but he also likes to eat electricity).

The tunnels are a big part of his home. He doesnt have a house so he sleeps, hides, and drives in the tunnels. He needs lights because in the tunnels its dark. Rayo turns on his own lights so he can see and be safe. If he didnt turn on his lights, he would go kaboom, kaboom, KABOOM! Rayo has friends: the Red Line, Green Line, Orange Line, Blue Line, and all of us.

Sometimes, Rayo goes to the Washington Monument or the supermarket, but he mostly just takes people home. Once he picked up a man who was going to sell lemons.

Today, he is going to pick up people at the Metro stations and help them carry packages. Rayo is a super fast train! He goes SHOOOOOOM in the tunnels all the way to Union Station and sometimes even the Natural History Museum.

The people wait for Rayo at the station. The station has rules: no pets, no danger, no food or drinks, no trash in the Metro, no smoking, and no loud sounds.

When Rayo gets to the station, he opens his doors and lets the people in. They put their packages inside. Then Rayo has to get them to their next stop. Hes so busy!

When Rayo comes out of the tunnels, he bounces on the tracks because there are a lot of stones on them. He turns his lights off because the sun is so bright! He sees trees passing by really fast, too. The trees are gray when they dont have leaves on them. Sometimes they are green. The teachers and friends riding Rayo see lights and trees moving really fast past them. Rayo is friends with a giant turtle (who doesnt have a name because he doesnt need one). He doesnt live in the Metro, but instead in the water on top of the land. He is scared of the dark tunnels, but he likes to look in the windows of the tunnels to see his friend Rayo. If Rayo is sleeping with his lights off, the turtle cant see him. The turtle doesnt go in the tunnels because he wears a big shell that he cant take off, so he doesnt fit.

Thats why he looks through the windows when he gets the chance. We know that the turtle and Rayo love each other and they feel happy and that makes us happy.

Rayo has other friends, too. He has train friends, people friends, and even animal friends. All the people who use the Metro are Rayos friends. We are all his friends because he lives here in Washington, DC, and so do we. Rayo and all of the Metro trains and stations are part of our community. We love Rayo because he takes us places and he goes really FAST!

Behind The Scenes: The Making of Rayo!

PreK3 investigated our Metro system and were very excited about everything that we discovered! Together, we researched the trains that take us everywhere: to the movies, tunnels, the Mall, and even to our grandma's house. We decided that we also needed to do some field research, so Ms. Anna and Sra. Gonzalez took us on a Metro ride where we gathered data, took notes, and took pictures of what we found to be most important. After this experience, we wanted to share our knowledge by writing a story all about one special Metro train. We named him Rayo because Rayo means lightning in Spanish. We gave him that name because he is so fast!

UNION STATIONSchool Within School at Goding (DCPS), Kindergarten

SOME DC LANDMARKSWashington International School, Pre-K C Spanish and Kinder C Spanish

THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT

THROUGH OUR EYES

DC LANDMARKS Pre-K C Spanish and Kinder C Spanish Washington International School

Teachers: Mabel Ramirez, Marcela Castillo, Consuelo Zuluaga, Mariell Aleman

We saw these. Can you find them on

your visit to the Washington Monument?

It is important for the planes to see the flashing lights of the monument so the airplanes dont knock the whole building. Mea Yo puedo ver el

Washington Monument desde mi ventana. El 4 de Julio yo voy al rooftop con mis amigos y watch the fireworks. Lily

Me gusta el monumento porque puedes ver muchas cosas y puedes ver el Potomac River y la Reflecting Pool. Me gusta el ro Potomac porque est limpio. Sahar

Es importante dibujar agua porque despus los nios no saben que Washington, DC, tiene un lago y un ro. Ana

I like to see the city from the Monument because I can see the people happy in their houses. The people in DC are happy. I have seen them smiling. Lili

Me gusta porque se ve muy lindo y hay muchas personas y me gusta ver las personas. T puedes ver una estrella flotando encima del rbol de navidad, hay trenes circling el rbol. Pia

I went to different

places to see the

Washington Monument

and I saw the Washington Monument from the Kennedy

Center and from other buildings. Mischa

I can tell the children that the flags are in the city, someone made them. I can tell them there are many flags at the Washington Monument. The flags are in a circle. Christopher

My favorite place in Washington is the tall, tall monument. Christopher

Me gusta mantener el monumento limpio. Ainsley

Yo puedo ir al Washington Monument y cuando estoy arriba puedo ver muchos monumentos: El Capitolio, la Casa Blanca, y el Jefferson que es como el Lincoln pero tiene un semicrculo arriba. El Lincoln Memorial es en el East.

Iigo

Me gusta mirar desde arriba porque puedo ver el Monumento a Lincoln y me gusta mucho porque Lincoln tiene una mano fuerte y una mano suave. Una es para kindness y la mano closed, como roca, es que estaba powerful.

Federica

I like the Capitolio because my dad

used to work there. I also like seeing the

president. Kiera

THE CAPITOL CcCCAPITOL

People go to the Capitolio to see what

they have learned about works in Washington, DC. They have to learn how to

make incredible stuff. Riya

Personas estn working en el Capitolio. Es muy bonito. Me gusta mucho porque tiene muchos designs.

Sienna

Puedes ver los fireworks el 4th of July. Y puedes

comer picnic en las escaleras del Capitolio. Y puedes ver los cherry blossom trees en la

primavera. Me gusta el Capitolio

porque mi pap used to trabajar en el Capitolio.

Alexandra

In the Capitol they make the rules. Sophia

I like to keep the Capitol clean. Ainsley

grande.

Lucas

Me gusta el Capitolio mucho. Me gusta

porque es grande.

Me gusta el

Capitolio mucho. Me gusta porque es

grande. Lucas

La Casa Blanca es muy grande. The

president lives there. It is not only a house,

its also a work. People have

meetings there meetings that are really important for Washington, DC.

Leo

Yo fu a la Casa Blanca en Navidad, v el cuarto rojo, el

cuarto verde, y azul. Yo v around it y v zanahorias in the garden y tomates. V tres rboles de

Navidad. Jack

This is the White House. Barack

Obama lives there and Barack

Obamas wife. He is the president of the

United States. Shanti

THE WHITE HOUSE

WE

BUI L T

THE

NAT IONAL

MALL

Me gusta el Air and Space Museum mucho porque puedes aprender como funcionan los rocketships. Este es un avin que est en el tercer piso y es un poquito como el que los Wright Brothers made. Eran las personas que inventaron el primer avin.

Clara

I like the Air and Space Museum because they have blocks to make rockets upstairs. There is a rocket called Black Bird

Alexander

I like the Air and Space Museum

because they have blocks

to make rockets

upstairs. There is a

rocket called

Black Bird.

Este es un avin, las personas estan adentro y a veces cuando land el avin se rompe.

Me gustan mucho las cosas que tienen en el Air and Space

Museum porque tienen muchos aviones y rocketships y suits

para ir a la luna. Ava

I like the simulators. You sit and it makes you go around and around; its like you are in space. You are in the track and you follow the track and then they drop. Its very fun, it is the Cosmic Coaster.

Jigme

I like the aircraft carrier because it has to go fast. They need to get the planes ready to take off, to get in the air so they can practice fighting. Felix

I like to keep the museum clean. Ainsley

I like the aircraft carrier

because it has to go fast. They need to get

the planes ready to take off,

to get in the air so they can practice fighting. Felix

El igl se puede hacer y despus ir adentro. En

el tip se puede ir adentro, tiene a bison

head. Paolo

There is a lot of fun stuff on each floor and you can learn how to build with them. Nika

This shows you the inside and the outside of the building. You can see that the outside is made out of Lego, but in the inside only the humans are made out of Lego.

I like science. They have a special slime. Its really cool; you can squeeze it for a lot of time. You feel it.

They have blue giant blocks. There is, Like, a square, a long square, basically any shape. They are like giant Legos. I can build a robot. Seiji

Me gustan los dinosaurios. En el museo tienen los huesos de la cara de los dinosaurios. Y me gusta porque tienen muy buenos juguetes en su jugueteria. Nico

SCULPTURES AND SPACESSchool Within School at Goding (DCPS), PreK3

THE REAL BEST PLAYGROUND EVERSeaton Elementary School (DCPS)

The playground was named after John F. Kennedy. He was the 35th President of the United States of America. The playground is near our school, Seaton Elementary (DCPS). The playground is for everybody! It is the real best playground ever.

President John F. Kennedy

THE KENNEDY PLAYGROUND

What are some important rules for the playground? Kayla: No screaming or crying on the playground. Teacher: Why do you say that Kayla? Kayla: Because if your grandfather takes you to the playground and there is a lot of screaming and crying, his blood pressure might go up and you dont want that.

Rules

Rule 1: One person on the slide at a time.

Rule 2: Keep the park clean!

Rule 3: Keep your shoes tied!

Rule 4: Share with your friends!

Rule 5: Have fun!

To whom does the Kennedy Playground belong? Giovanni: It belongs to John F. Kennedy. Christian: I think it belongs to everyone because everybody can play on it. It's not just for one person. Everybody can play on the playground. Raymond: Everyone can play on it. I like to see other people play on it. Why does Washington, DC, have the Kennedy Playground anyway? Michael: Because they didn't have a playground. So they built one so children can have fun playing on the playground.

Research site: Kennedy Playground

The Kennedy Playground is colorful. The colors are, like, red, green, blue, yellow, and orange. I like to slide down the slide. It is big and goes slow, then very fast. It makes me feel like a racecar driver.

Kids like to play on the playground. When you go on the slide, you go fast. The Kennedy Playground has a big blue swirly slide. When I climb the tall slide ladder, I feel scared. When you get into the slide, you cannot see the sky. Theres a roof on the slide. I feel happy when I get to the bottom of the slide.

I like the playground because the slide is fast. One has a lot of stairs. When you get to the top you can look out a hole and see youre up high. The stairs are like a tower. Its like a castle too. Its very, very high up.

I like the swing. It takes me high to the sky.

I like the swing. I like to swing to the sky.

The Kennedy Playground is fun. You can play with your friends and you can push your friend. When I sit on the swings, I spin myself on the swing and the swing spins faster and faster. It is fun.

Everybody is happy at the Kennedy Playground. It is so fun. I can play with my friends or I can play by myself.

The swings are the best. They take me to the moon, to the sun, to the stars.

I like the monkey bars. They are the best. They give my hands energy. You have to be strong to hold on and to go all the way across.

I can pretend that I am a monkey or a gorilla. When I hang on the monkey bars for a long time my hands get sweaty. I have to jump off and wipe them. Then I can get back on.

Sometimes I cannot reach the bars and my mom or dad has to help me. When I go all the way across the monkey bars I am happy.

The water part is for the summer when it is really, really hot out. There is a button inside the flower that turns the water on. It shoots out and I pretend that I am taking a shower.

I am happy when I get to play in the water, I like to get really wet and then go down the slide because you go faster, like Lightning McQueen!

Pre-Kindergartners Tell Stories About the Kennedy Playground

Lets imagine

Me, Kenadie, and my brother are going to the mountain to build a giant snowman. Its going to be really large and we see some flowers at the top.

Cadyn

The blue is the slide. Orange a slide; purple biggest; yellow medium; green smallest.

Yoselin

I am going to the playground to pretend that I am the Princess. Im going upstairs and theres my Prince, my brother.

Kamila

Thats my daddy and hes going to catch my mommy going down the slide. Im climbing to catch the sun and thats my house and my cat. My mommy is going to kiss the daddy sun.

Lily

Thats the playground where she lives. A tractor is going to her and shes gonna die, and shes trying to get some blueberries in the bush, and this is the blue water, and this is where she lives and comes out of her playground. This is the flag on top.

Natasha

This is the slide. I go to the upstairs and I go down the slide.

Alexander

I made an airplane and it crashed on the Eiffel Tower. The airport exploded too! The big box (green) popped out of someones house and broke it. The Titanic exploded too. (Yellow) Its the wheels of the airplane. The wheels are going inside the airplane.

Evan

The plane crashed on the slide. The people saw the animals. My mom, Kevin and the baby crashed in the playground.

Mauricio

Thats the green and blue slide. These are the three ladders. This is the circle. This is the floor and this is the house (orange). This is the crane and the tent house.

Terrence

My playground disappeared. It just left, but Im still there. I am alone and no one will find me in the dark. Wolf and bear were eating me and I needed to run away. My family found me at the playground and now Im not alone.

Kenadie

This is me. This is the stairs that take me up. This is the door. This is the fighting movie and you can put it in your house. And this is the bathroom.

Jose

This is the playground. This is the bell. This is me! Im going up the stairs. Thats the slide.

Matthew

I am going down the slide. My mommy is there.

Jonathan

This is me! Im walking over to the playground. Im walking in DC. Im going to play on the slide.

Addison

Pre-Kindergartners Design Their Ideal Playground

My playground has hearts and Im there going down the slide. There are stairs and there is a castle.

Kamila

This is the playground. This is the bell. This is me, Im going up the stairs. Thats the slide.

Matthew

Kindergartners Create Three-Dimensional Playground Models

Making the Monkey Bars, Twirler, and Swings

Making the Sprinkler System, Waterslide and the Benches

Where are people going to sit at the playground?

We need benches.

Look What We Did!

Kenadie: Oh, my goodness! This is sooooo beautiful!

Lily: Im having the best day ever.

I love teamwork!

WHEW!!!

COME VISIT OUR PLAYGROUND!

GOOD CITIZENS OF DCSacred Heart School, Kindergarten

Who are some of the good citizens of DC?

If you are respectful and kind, you are a good citizen.

Natalia

Si tu eres respetuoso y amable, eres un buen ciudadano.

Natalia

Children citizens are good citizens even if they make bad decisions because God made all children good.

Kenneth

Los nios ciudadanos son buenos ciudadanos aunque hagan malas decisiones porque Dios hace a todos los nios buenos.

Kenneth

Sacred Heart Kindergartners Investigate!

Fire- Fighters

The firefighters live in DC and are good citizens because they help people by working really hard putting out fires. Isabella

Los bomberos viven en DC y son buenos ciudadanos porque ayudan a las personas trabajando muy duro al apagar fuegos. Isabella

Firefighters are good citizens even if they do not follow the traffic rules because they have to get to the fire fast day or night.

Samuel Los bomberos son buenos ciudadanos aunque a veces no sigan las reglas de trafico porque tienen que llegar al fuego rpido de da o de noche. Samuel

You can see them taking out ladders to get

to the roof even when everyone is scared.

Stanley Puedes ver a ellos sacando las escaleras para subirse al techo aunque todos tengan miedo. Stanley

911 Operators

When there is a fire at home, I call 911 and they tell the firefighters to help.

Alan

Cuando hay un fuego en casa yo llamo al 911 y ellos les dicen a los bomberos que ayuden.

Alan

They also help people with other emergencies.

Kenneth

Ellos tambin ayudan a personas con otras emergencias.

Kenneth

NATURAL PLACES OF FREEDOM IN NORTHEAST DCSchool Within School at Goding (DCPS), PreK4

ABOUT THE AUTHORS AND THE BOOK

Sacred Heart School Alumnos de PreK3 Espaol

Maestras: Anna Ramirez, Roselia GonzalezArts Integration Coach: Kristen Kullberg

Alfredo Bonilla

Bryce Boykins

Stella Fester

Elija Graddick

Otoniel Granados

Joshua Jasen

Ezana Kassahun

Charles Malloy

Remy Mendez-Lawrence

Samuel Parker IV

Forrest Reeve-Miller

Darvin Reyes

James Wills

Sacred Heart School Alumnos de PreK4 Espaol

Maestras: Maria Eugenia Ramirez, Maria Celia JoyaArts Integration Coach: Kristen Kullberg

Jean Carlo Alvarenga

Brian Dixon

Kira Gullab

JeanCarlos Silva

Noah Smith

Ariana Martinez

Angel Quinde

Sascha Szebrat

Anthony Sanchez

Keiry Rivas

Santiago Vazquez

Emilio Velez

Sacred Heart School Kindergarten

Maestras: Gricell Medley, Lily Lopez DelCastilloArts Integration Coach: Kristen Kullberg

Marley Ross

Nataly Salazar

Alan Tran

Giancarlo Villanueva

Natalia Wills

Stanley Wright

Isabella Mendoza

Naomi Mogus

Valentina Murcia

Khyair Phillips

Estrella Rodriguez

Samuel Romero

Bailey Ross

Christoper Chavez

Wada Chiebessa

Ashley Cruz

Angel Cuadra

Adrian Hernandez

Elizabeth Malloy

Kenneth Marshall

School Within School at Goding (DCPS) PreK3 Classes

Teachers: Michi Marron, Krista HowellTeaching Assistants: Katie Butler, Rachelle Adkins Atelierista: Marla McLean

Milo Mikaelian

Andrew Norton

William ONeill

Eliza Poling

Leila Rufael

Phoebe Stevens

Lulu Twalbert

Rohan Theis

Mae Wilder

Oskar Winkler Thomas

Michela Zanini

Oliver Simpson

Olivia Darling

Toumani McCurty

Vittoria Starace

Zolie Keenan

Anja Beeton

Brynn Beeton

Milo Buchman

Truman Greif

Clay Johnson

Bennett Beasley

Carter Taylor

Connor Jensen

Colin Olsen

Cora Workman

Dale Stevenson

Elise Neumann

Evie Paisner

Kira Neufeld

Max Hunt

School Within School at Goding (DCPS) PreK Classes

Teachers: Hannah Birney, Jere Lorenzen-StraitTeaching Assistants: Brenda Dyer, Cynthia CopelandAtelierista: Marla McLean

Abby Johnston

Alston Taylor

Boaz Movit

Cait Engelhardt

Caleb Freihage

Charlie Batkin

Coby Taheri

Cooper McQuiston

Daphna Soskis

Emily Acosta

Emerson Chong

Fiona Betts

Franklin Gibbs

Gabe Schon

Henry Freed

Hudson Craig

Jacob Lang

Jillian Pierson

Joseph Miles, Jr.

June Walsh

Liam Keith

Lincoln Celestino

Maya Mir Stefanini

Maya Smith

Maya Strada

Miles McCartney

Nate Harvey

Nicolas Oliveira Bu!o

Olive Rich

Oskar Brown

Peyton Watson

Ricardo Jones

Ruan Schroeder

Scarlet Havard

Sinatra Steele

Thatcher Norton

William Mendez

William Tome

XyMya Tyler

School within School at Goding (DCPS) Kindergarten Classes

Teachers: Margaret Ricks, Laura McCarthyTeaching Assistants: Devon Dunn, Shawna FriedmanAtelierista: Marla McLean

Apolena Hunt

Brandon Carey

Bryce Barnett

Charles Beasley

Ingrid Pratt

Isla Kaplan

Jane Paisner

Jasmin Jones

Joshua Hawes-Jones

Julia Olsen

Liam Corr

Lily Mitchev

Madeline Bailey

Myles Lindsay

Payton Anderson

Priya Slaton

Ravindranath Mampara

Rebecca Heim

Santino Starace

Sasha Schorr

Watchman Anderson

Paige Anderson

Eleanor Brannon

Jackson Burger

Auden Dubord

Sasha Firestone

Henry Greif

Andrew Leavitt

Edwin McGuire

Mathilda Mott

Quinn ONeill

Barrett Poling

Cleopatra Rufael

Ezekiel Schmidgall

John Schmidt

Anais Stackel

Myles Trujillo

Mason Grace Turton

Maya Vogt

Amir Zaki

Milena Zanini

School Within School at Goding (DCPS) First Grade

Teacher: Katie Solli

Isaiah Henson

Anabel Gebhard

Gabriel Forte-Freeman

Evan Darling

Harvey Craig

Liam Cochran

Benjamin Stettler

Issa Sifton

Connor Rubin

Isabel Pierson

Lilah Rich

Audrey Neumann

Willa McCartney

Madelyn Kaplan

Riley Johnston

Colette Gregg

Sophia Showalter

Tate Moran

Gabriel Mendez

Rowan Takamura

Madeline Stevenson

Mira Soskis

School Within School at Goding (DCPS) First Grade

Teachers: Alysia Sco"eld, Noel Montrey

Kamrin Hainsworth

Lucinda Gunter

Lusa Wilder

Noah Kolker

Percy Kyd-Bruneau

Rhema Whitford

Ryan Watterson

Samuel Winkler Thomas

So"e Goerlitz

Sonora Hale

Tali Pressman

Ainsley Kaplan

Aksel Moeller

Dominic Acosta

Dorian Graves

Dylan Smith

Erick Kazmierski

Gael Grim-Garcia

Hazel Gonzales

Ibby Lee

Isaac Batamula

Jordan Pelzer

Seaton Elementary School (DCPS) Pre-Kindergarten

Teacher: Brianna Kayton Classroom Assistant: Glenda Lee Art Teacher: Terry Thomas

Lily Morgulis

Cadyn Richardson

Jose Sanchez-Lopez

Evan Tarsikes

Mattew Wang

Addison White

Terrence Wu

Mauricio Capacho

Kenadie Carter

Jonathan Chan

Yoselin Garibay Vargas

Alexandre Genchev

Natasha Gomez

Kamila Kerimkulova

Seaton Elementary School (DCPS) Kindergarten

Teacher: Kendra Horton Classroom Assistant: Shanna Burroughs Art Teacher: Terry Thomas

Tykara Mcclain

Jocelyn Merino-Reyes

Alexander Nava Ojendis

Anthony Ojendis

Carlos Sanchez-Lopez

Delana Session

Camila Vera-Sanchez

Samuel Howell

Hogan Huong

Kayla King

Anderson Lara Lopez

Somaya Lee

Leo Lin

Maritza Martinez-Tejeda

Reginald Alston

Christian Ceron Morales

Evelyn Cerros-Castillo

Matthew Chen

Kevin Crawford

Antonio Hernandez-Castro

Mirella Hernandez-Morales

Seaton Elementary School (DCPS) Kindergarten

Teacher: Cathy MurrayClassroom Assistant: Astryd Luna Art Teacher: Terry Thomas

Carlos Martinez-Hernandez

JayR McCray

Christian Nanton

Andrea Portillo Sosa

Michael Tarsikes

Elian Vargas-Martinez

Antonio Weaver

Indya Edwards

Gerneice Goss

Jakhi Kearney

Raymond Ko

Yuhan Lin

Adibah Mahfuz

Yuleidi Alcocer-Leon

Caleb Alelegn

Giselle Bonilla Hernandez

Zitlalit Casarrubias-Nava

Nicole Chen

Itzel Crespo-Castillo

Giovanni Duran

Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center Wallabies

Teachers: Erin Pruckno, Dana Brightful

Enzo Gillin

Freya Greene

Oliver Katz

Josie Kidd

Ellen Kirkpatrick

Lia Valentine

Hans Atencio

Agnes Beliveau

Archer Crawford-Smith

Olivia Couture

Beatrice Dikow

Samuel Garver

Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center Cinnamon Bears

Teachers: Carrie He#in, Emma Cowan-Young

Isabella Keeling

Henry Paul

Jude Snaman

Layla Stark

Gwendolyn Steiger

Oskar Thrower-Patterson

Nathanial Wilson

Gregory Atkins

Vivienne Brzostek

Dashiell Caruso

Trey Cooper

Grant Garrett

Lucas Harucki

Stella Heath

Nathan Je!ery

Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center Kindergarten

Teachers: Cathryn Kis, Rebecca Adams

Thomas Gastright

Ailsa Greene

Roy Lopez-Davis

Amelia Shelton

Nancy Tzioumis

Maggie Balderston

Summer Bitar

Henry Campbell

London Couture

Micah Frenkel

Caleb Garnett

Washington International School Pre-K C Spanish

Teacher: Nydia Marcela CastilloAssistant: Consuelo Zuluaga

Ana Kunsman

Felix Miller

Seiji Nyhan

Christopher Pierce

Mea Poole

Alexander Samaniego

Pia Vasquez

Nicolas Bruneau

Liliana Dietz

Sophia Iker-Nuss

Lucas Gijon-Suzuki

Leo Jackson

Jigme Kim

Kiera Kumar

Riya Kumar

Washington International School Pre-K A French

Teacher: Rebecca Courouble Assistant: Ouahiba Akkache

Sonia Petri-Hidalgo

Imogen Thomson

Alec von Lipsey

Derek von Lipsey

Talal Ahmed

Helen Barrosse

Linnea Baysinger

Theodore Fine

Sammy Madani

Washington International School Kinder C Spanish

Teacher: Mabel RamirezAssistant: Mariell Aleman-Lee

Clara Jones

Iigo Jordan

Jack Mitchell

Mischa Psaila

Sienna Rapaport

Paolo Sdralevich

Lillian Venzke

Shanti Abiad

Ainsley Anderson

Federica Astesiano

Ava Baik

Nika Berninger

Alexandra Brown

Sahar Hashemi

T his book is the fruit of a beautiful labor: a project called Children Are Citizens: Children and Teachers Collaborat-ing Across Washington, DC. Members of the project include teachers and administrators from Sacred Heart School, School Within School at Goding (DCPS), Seaton Elementary School (DCPS), the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, and Washington International School, as well as educators from the National Gallery of Art, Imagination Stage, the National

Building Museum, and the Making Learning Visible Project at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The project is grounded in the belief that children are not just future or hypothetical citizens; rather, they are citizens

of the city in the here and now, with the right to express their opinions and participate in the civic and cultural life of

Washington, DC. As the world becomes increasingly connected and interdependent, knowledge of oneself as an indi-

vidual learner and member of a community becomes more important. People need to be able to listen to one another,

to work together to identify and solve problems, and to acknowledge and respect diverse points of view. When children

grow up in a culture and begin their schooling with support for thinking, feeling, and acting in groups, they are more

likely to participate in and practice democracy as informed and caring citizens.

The Children Are Citizens project began in October 2014 when educators from across DC gathered for a professional

development seminar to learn about creating compelling curricula that connect children with their city. Throughout the

fall adults listened to what children found most interesting about DC. We learned that the children were fascinated by the

Metro, monuments, museums, Union Station, natural spaces, public sculptures, playgrounds, and more.

During the winter, teachers helped the children research these places of interest. They listened as children asked

questions and theorized about di%erent aspects of the city. The children talked, wrote, drew, played, improvised, and

created three-dimensional models about their ideas. Teachers, children, and parents took &eld trips to the National

Gallery of Art and Imagination Stage, and arts educators from these institutions came to the schools to support the

childrens research. Professional development seminars for the teachers introduced new ways to support childrens

exploration of the city. Children shared their work, questions, and feedback across neighborhoods and across schools.

In the process, they became part of something bigger than themselves.

Indeed, the children learned a great deal. They discovered that:

In making aesthetic decisions about their book pages, they needed to draw on their mathematical skills

(e.g., planning how to include their most important ideas in the eight pages allotted to their class)

and literacy skills (e.g., using new vocabulary to explain their ideas, considering how books work, and

conveying their ideas in words and images).

Research leads to new knowledge and understanding (e.g., what they had been calling Kingman Island

was really Heritage Island).

Feedback from children from another school could help them &gure out how best to describe or represent

important parts of their city, and they can change their ideas if a better idea is suggested.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

They have di%erent notions about to whom Washington, DC, belongs (e.g., George Washington, the President,

the Mayor, the security guards, God, family members, or everyone). Through conversation and debate opinions

can change and new theories can emerge.

The word homeless doesnt make sense when you believe the city belongs to everyone who lives there.

The world is much bigger than their immediate neighborhoods: bigger than the streets they walk on and

the people they see every day.

Their thoughts and feelings about DC are valued by adults and other children, and they can use their

imaginations to envision new possibilities for the city.

This learning aligns with the DCPSs early learning standards, particularly in the areas of communication and

language (especially collaboration and presentation of knowledge and ideas), and approach to learning/logic and

reasoning (especially information processing, problem-solving, and decision making), among others.

The adults learned a great deal as well. We learned that:

We can look at Union Station in new ways; as we pass through we now look up to take in the beautiful

statuary and gold-leaf ceiling, and we attend more carefully to the ice cream shops.

Because it is so much fun, a playground is a great place to learn.

What children pay attention to in museums is often di%erent from what adults &nd important (the security

guards rather than the artifacts).

Small groups are an ideal setting for children to discuss and debate ideas and, given support, young children

can express profound ideas about their city.

The ability to listen is essential for the exchange and modi&cation of ideas. Expressing and explaining ones

own ideas, and listening and responding to those of others, is critical for creating a democratic culture in the

classroom and beyond.

Our appreciation goes to school administrators John Burst, Elise Heil, Kim Kiehl, Megan McCall, Cynthia Robinson-

Rivers, and Becky Rosenberg, who attended the Children Are Citizens seminars and supported their teachers learning.

Many thanks to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the PNC Grow Up Great Program, Target, and an anonymous funder

for their generous support of this project.

Ben Mardell and Mara Krechevsky

Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

Cambridge, MA

April 2015

YOUR OWN CHAPTERUse the following pages to continue exploring Washington, DC.

[DC belongs] to everyone in the whole entire world. Washington, DC, can change the world.

Marley

DC belongs to anyone who takes care of it really good. The other people need to practice.

Maya

No es solo de personas de Wash-ington, tambien es de animales.

Federica

Nika: Yo pienso que la ciudad es de George Washington because George Washington became a president.

Sienna: Es de todas las personas en Washington, DC.

Alexandra: No solo las personas de Washington, DC, las personas que estan visiting para ver Washington, DC, tambien.

Me siento orgulloso por ser un ciudadano de esta ciudad, porque es ma y de todos hasta del presidente, de mis abuelos, y de todos los que trabajan para ella.

Anthony

[DC belongs to] everyone in Wash-ington, DC little kids and grown-ups.

Yuhan

Tali: [A citizen] is a person who is respecting things. If someone gets hurt you dont leave them there.

Sammy: Like the guy [from the Bible] that got smashed with a rock and they took his clothes and everyone walked by him, even the priest. It was a guy that was not likely to help him that helped him.

Washington is very important because if there is not a town, nobody is going to live.

Sammy

You know how you share food with people? Thats what its like living in a city you share the whole city with everybody. Its like a house that you share with your family.

Ingrid

[The city] really belongs to the Mayor, because the President is the boss of the country, but the Mayor is the boss of the city.

Gabe FF

Micah: Barack Obama owns this city.

Summer: I think it is the security guards.